


My Crown Is In My Heart

by ohmarqueliot



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Gen, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, comfort and support, eliot is supportive, fen is supportive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 17:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16045349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmarqueliot/pseuds/ohmarqueliot
Summary: The late afternoon sun shone through the stained glass windows, casting a warm glow throughout the bedroom. The light caught in Fen’s hair, the loose strands contrasting brilliantly against the red and black stones in the crown that sat atop her head. She stood before the tall mirror, watching her own reflection. Lifting her chin, she looked down her nose regally for a moment before deflating slightly, her mouth twisting into an uncertain grimace.Before Eliot returns to Brakebills, he offers some support to Fen and gets some in return. Set between 3x12 and 3x13.





	My Crown Is In My Heart

The late afternoon sun shone through the stained glass windows, casting a warm glow throughout the bedroom. The light caught in Fen’s hair, the loose strands contrasting brilliantly against the red and black stones in the crown that sat atop her head. She stood before the tall mirror, watching her own reflection. Lifting her chin, she looked down her nose regally for a moment before deflating slightly, her mouth twisting into an uncertain grimace.

Rapping his knuckles lightly against the open door, Eliot offered a small smile when the reflection of Fen’s eyes met his in the mirror. He stepped into the room as she spun around to face him, snatching the crown from her head as though it suddenly burned. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly, grasping the crown tightly in front of her with both hands.

He wasn’t sure whether it was an automatic reaction to being caught doing something that she felt like she shouldn’t be doing, or if it was because she was worried about hurting his feelings, but he didn’t want her to think that either was something that she had to apologise for. Taking the crown from her, the weight so familiar in his hands, he placed it gently over her head, smiling at her reassuringly when her eyes widened. Brushing his thumb along her cheek as he drew his hands back, he threw his arms wide with a flourish, crossing one leg behind the other as he bowed to her. “Your Majesty.”

Her soft exhalation was the only sound in the quiet room, and he glanced up to see her shoulders slumped. “Eliot…”

“No,” he said, straightening up. Wrapping his hands around her upper arms, he lifted her shoulders, straightening her posture. “That’s better,” he said, looking her over appraisingly and nodding at what he saw. Her eyes were still full of doubt, but she’d grow out of that soon enough. He knew for a fact the strength of her resolve. “You can’t let them see you falter,” he told her firmly, raising his eyebrows as he looked down at her intently. “I’m not sure whether it works against you that you’re not a child of Earth or whether they’ll take you more seriously as a Fillorian, but you’ve known this court as long as I have. You’ll have to fight for every little thing. You can’t let them see you hesitate.”

Fen frowned up at him, reaching up to touch the crown in her hair, but at least she didn’t try to take it off again. “I don’t deserve this, Eliot. Did Margo tell you that she was going to make me acting High King?”

“She did,” he allowed, dropping his hands. “I wanted to see the look on your face when she told you, but she told me not to intrude on her moment. I think being High King is getting to her head already.” She didn’t smile, and he pressed his lips together impatiently. “All right, what is it?”

She laughed in surprise, and it was a bitter sound coming from her. “Are you serious? What _isn’t_ it? I have no idea how to run a kingdom.”

“Sure you do,” he said cheerily. “You’ve watched Margo and I fumble through it for the last few years. You certainly couldn’t do any worse.”

“Eliot…” she protested, but then looked away, frowning.

Pressing his lips together, he leaned into her line of sight until she raised her eyes again to meet him. “Tell me,” he said, his voice firm but gentle. He had complete faith in her, but he wasn’t sure how much time would pass while he and Margo were back on Earth, and he didn’t want to leave Fen brimming with self-doubt or whatever else it was that was bothering her.

He could tell she was still hesitant, but when she spoke her voice was steady. “This is your crown,” she said, her eyes serious as she looked up at him. “I know how much Fillory means to you. It’s one thing for Margo to take it, but me…”

Did she seriously think that he was angry with her? “Oh, honey,” he said, smiling and shaking his head at her. “If I thought you’d taken Fillory from me do you really think I’d be in here making you feel better about it?”

Smiling at him reluctantly, her hands darted once more toward her crown, and he caught them in his before they could do so. “Still –“

“Still, nothing,” he told her. Sighing, he rolled his eyes to mask the twinge of hurt that he still couldn’t quite shove down far enough. He knew Margo had earned the people’s support, and he couldn’t hold it against her – wouldn’t let himself hold it against her.  “Ok fine, it doesn’t feel great that they didn’t pick me, but I also get why they wanted Margo. Although to be fair,” he added quickly, quirking his head, “I’m at least equally as sexually liberated as she is –“

“Eliot.”

“But,” he continued, his lip twitching with satisfaction that he’d finally gotten some exasperation out of her that wasn’t focused on herself. He smoothed his expression, determined that she see the sincerity behind his words. “Bambi’s ruled by my side for most of the time I’ve been here, and so have you. I’m honoured to be succeeded by her, and for you to rule in our absence.”

When the doubt in her eyes didn’t recede, he gently spun her around to face the mirror again, standing behind her and replacing his hands on her shoulders. “Listen,” he said, lifting his chin and gathering as much authority as he could muster. “You are High King Fen.” He paused for dramatic effect between each of the words in her new title. “Friend and confidant to the current High King, and wife and trusted advisor to the last.” He shrugged. “You got this, girl.”

Finally, she gave him some sort of genuine smile. “You really think so?”

“I do.” Adjusting the crown slightly and then pulling some of her long curls in front of her shoulders, he looked her up and down in the mirror. “Very regal. It suits you,” he added after a moment, his voice softening. He was suddenly caught in one of those bizarre _how the hell did I end up here_ moments, except for once it wasn’t a comparison of his life on Earth but of his early days in Fillory, where he’d met a young woman who he was told had to become his wife in order for him to take a throne he hadn’t known would save his life.

Apparently sensing his distraction, Fen slowly turned to face him, taking both of his hands in hers and he smiled at her faintly. “Look where we are now,” he said. “You’re the acting High King. I’m dethroned, off to finish this quest to turn magic back on. A bit of a stretch from the knife maker’s daughter and the glorious party king of Brakebills.”

Fen squeezed his hands gently. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think you ever stopped being the glorious party king.” Noting the way her brow furrowed, he resisted the urge to tell her that of course it made him feel better. “Eliot, you know that it doesn’t matter if Margo wears this crown, or me in her place. You’re High King in your blood. You’re High King in your _heart._ ” She smiled up at him in that way that she did that spoke both of hope and a little bit of sorrow. “You’ll always be High King, whether you’re crowned so or not.”

Swallowing down the sudden lump in his throat, he attempted a smile. He’d come to try and give her a boost before he left and yet here she was, lifting him up in the way that she always did without fail. She was far more than he deserved. He didn’t have the heart to pass off her words as a joke, not this time – they meant too much to him, and somehow he didn’t feel the usual overwhelming urge to bury his feelings in wit and mockery. “Thank you,” he said sincerely.

Fen looked taken aback for a moment, then visibly seemed to gather herself. “As much as it means to me that you came to give me your advice, that’s not the only reason you’re here, is it?”

She always saw through him far too well. “Bambi and I are heading back to Brakebills now. The fairies are all moved in, so we have the last key. I can’t imagine there’ll be too many hoops to jump through now we have them all so I hope we won’t be gone long, but… well, you know how the time works between worlds. But first we have to see what the last chapter of the book says.” He shrugged apologetically. “So… this is goodbye, for now.”

He supposed it was fortunate that he’d actually grown to be fond of his wife but he didn’t love the feeling now, when he caught the blend of sadness and uncertainty on her face before she could hide it. “Hey,” he said gently. “You’re going to do an amazing job. You’ve been involved in ruling Fillory since I first got here. And in some batshit turn of events, the Fairy Queen is now suddenly on our side and can help you.” He couldn’t quite bury his wariness when it came to the fairies, despite Fen’s detailing of their past, but Fen seemed to have come to trust them a little and that’s all that mattered in this pep talk, right? Still, he couldn’t help himself entirely. “Just make sure you keep all of your fingers,” he warned her lightly. “And I guess it’s probably a good idea to keep the talking animals happy since, you know, it’s because of them that one of us still gets to wear that thing,” he said, nodding toward the crown atop her head.

Fen didn’t laugh, but some of the tension seemed to finally leave her shoulders. “Please be careful,” she said, her voice both quiet and passionate. “Just… come back in one piece. Please.”

Her wide eyes stared into his so beseechingly that he felt a pang of warmth and appreciation in his chest. He knew for certain that he didn’t deserve someone as unwaveringly loyal and supportive as he had in his incredibly brave wife. Acting on an instinct that he didn’t bother to question, he freed one of his hands from hers. Touching two fingers under her chin, he raised her face and ducked his head to kiss her lips gently. Her hand tightened in his, and when he drew back and opened his eyes it was to see hers glistening. “I’ll do my best,” he promised.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea if I got this dynamic right, but this moment got in my head and wouldn't leave until I wrote it out. Let me know what you think!


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